Chapter 86: City Lord Seta

Zhai Guangyi was now wearing a light blue long dress, trying his best to appear natural as he responded positively to the maid’s expectations.

Following the maid’s lead, Xiong Batian and Zhai Guangyi arrived together at the banquet hall, which was already filled with guests, including that obese aristocrat who had relieved himself on the street earlier.

Hong Ren and Xiong Da were already waiting for the two in the banquet hall. Compared to men’s attire, women’s formal wear was indeed more intricate. The maids had mistaken Zhai Guangyi’s gender from the start and taken him to the women’s dressing room. There was no chance to explain now, and after some thought, he decided to let it go.

Seeing Xiong Da, Zhai Guangyi quickly explained before Xiong Da could speak.

“It’s not that I wanted to wear this. The maids helped me put it on, and I couldn’t take it off. Please, keep this a secret.”

“I think it suits you very well! Such a cute dress—I’d love to wear one like it too.”

Xiong Da’s response made Zhai Guangyi breathe a sigh of relief. Although He Xiaoxiao had become male, his heart remained that of a young girl, full of tolerance for cute things.

Though wrapped in thick fabric, Zhai Guangyi could sense Hong Ren’s gaze lingering on him for a moment, but it was mostly fixed on Xiong Batian. In truth, Hong Ren wasn’t entirely sure of Zhai Guangyi’s gender, but now it seemed he was female. Hong Ren wasn’t particularly fond of such a slender figure, though it was still striking. However, Xiong Batian next to him was more to his taste, making him yearn for a clash of muscles with her.

As Zhai Guangyi entered, most of the people in the banquet hall turned their attention to him. Firstly, he was quite unique. As an Elf, both his demeanor and appearance were naturally eye-catching. Secondly, the main focus of this banquet was Zhai Guangyi and his companions.

Human city-states had already enacted laws prohibiting Forest Elves from entering, yet the Elf before them was not only exempt from the ban but also treated with the highest level of hospitality.

This wasn’t actually City Lord Seta’s initial intention, but he had received intelligence from Mark that the Spirit King Tree might have dispatched three Demigods.

This indicated that the Spirit King Tree’s status was certainly not low—a very dangerous situation—so he dared not act rashly.

The Spirit King Tree was located in the eastern part of the Mesopotamia Forest, relatively close to human cities. His Banwang City, as the first city-state near the edge of the forest within the Kingdom, had the responsibility to negotiate with powerful forces. However, it was also crucial to avoid falling into a disadvantageous position during negotiations. Striking first was important, and he also wanted to secure greater benefits from the Spirit King Tree.

With so many Forest Elves gathering together, they would inevitably become a formidable force. Moreover, the Spirit King Tree was now exceedingly rare and could suppress the current frenzied state of most Forest Elves.

Seta knew a thing or two about the Forest Elves. As an aristocrat of the Kingdom and the City Lord of Banwang City, he was somewhat aware of matters concerning the Elven Divine Tree.

Once large numbers of Forest Elves learned of the Spirit King Tree’s location, the formation of a new Elven Kingdom was inevitable. To prepare in advance, Seta needed to secure a certain degree of influence.

The recently enacted ordinance by the Kingdom prohibiting Forest Elves from entering the city had conveniently provided him with an excellent opportunity. Taking advantage of this, he could detain a large number of Forest Elves within the city and await further chances.

However, what Seta had not anticipated was that the forces of the Spirit King Tree were overwhelmingly powerful, even boasting a Demigod. This clearly indicated that the strength of the Spirit King Tree would not stop at the Demigod level.

Originally, Seta held absolute leverage in his hands, with the advantage in negotiations firmly on his side. But the appearance of the Demigod shattered his plans. Moreover, Zhai Guangyi and his group had arrived too quickly. The Church’s Demigod was still on the way, so he had to find a way to stall them for some time.

These Aristocrats were from neighboring cities, with many vested interests tied to Banwang City. This time, they had been drawn here by the news of the Forest Elves.

Trafficking Forest Elf slaves was not what he desired. His current goal was to secure the most favorable benefits from the Spirit King Tree. These Aristocrats were merely pawns he used to muddy the waters, as not everyone was aware that among the Spirit King Tree’s representatives was a Demigod.

However, he found Mark’s claim of three Demigods somewhat exaggerated. The ascension to Demigod was an exceedingly difficult process. Many Humans remained stuck at Level 60, with the threshold to Demigod being particularly hard to cross.

It was likely that only the woman named Xiong Batian was a Demigod, while the others had probably not reached that level.

He had a butler by his side who had studied Appraisal. The one who seemed to be called the Primordial Spirit was only Level 13, hardly a cause for concern. By now, all Forest Elves who could enter the city had already been captured. The reason Zhai Guangyi was able to enter Banwang City was solely because he represented the Spirit King Tree and, more importantly, due to the pressure of Xiong Batian’s Demigod strength.

However, the butler’s Appraisal Skill Level was still too low to see attributes and statuses. He could only view basic Level information, while the details of the other two remained inaccessible.

Xiong Batian was already confirmed as a Demigod. As for the suspicious figure always wrapped in bandages, he likely possessed an item that blocked Appraisal. Covering his face was probably just an attempt to bluff. How could it be possible to cultivate two Demigods in just a month? That was simply unthinkable.

Once the Church’s Demigod arrived here, Seta would have the confidence to speak with authority.

“I am delighted that everyone could come to support this occasion. I, Seta, sincerely thank you all for your backing.”

It was only then that Zhai Guangyi noticed Seta at the center of the banquet hall. Standing amidst the crowd was a middle-aged man with a small mustache and a scar on his face, giving off an air of boldness and vigor.

Zhai Guangyi was captivated by the banquet’s delicacies. One had to admit, Humans truly knew how to indulge. How long had it been since he last enjoyed such desserts and cakes, especially the cookies? The nostalgia was overwhelming. He wondered if the Demon King City had such treats.

Zhai Guangyi leaned close to Xiong Da and whispered,

“Can you control that guy named Seta?”

If they could rely on Xiong Da’s Special Skill, Submission, it would likely resolve many troubles quickly and efficiently.

Xiong Da shook his head, while quietly informing Zhai Guangyi of the limitations of his own Skill. Although the Submission Skill was very useful, opportunities to use it were scarce, and it had many restrictions. First, it was impossible to command targets whose Level surpassed his own to submit; the target needed to be within his line of sight and had to be able to fully hear Xiong Da’s voice. It also seemed impossible to use on those whose Soul Strength exceeded his own.

It was a very effective crowd-control Skill, and its use was imperceptible. The Soul Strength of Transmigrators was inherently much stronger than that of ordinary Natives, after all, as they were born with a Special Skill.

Once the target of Submission left the line of sight, the effect would vanish. Seta’s Level was 60, and his attribute points were not weak either. Moreover, his Equipment was quite good, and he had many experts around him ranging from Level 40 to 50. Not only was Seta like this, but the Aristocrats around him also had many experts of this caliber.